PhysicsHippie

I'm just curious why sunflower lecithin is allowed in the Whole30 program... Cuz I guess our goal is reduce inflammatory items, but I have read that lecithin can actually be difficult for the body to digest and can be inflammatory. My guess to the answer would be if you are still seeing inflammatory symptoms on Whole30, then the next step would be to cut out this item? Just like how FODMAP foods can be cut out individually if you are still seeing issues. Just wanted to stir the pot a bit. Cuz even though I LOVE allowing this item so I can purchase commercially made almond milk, it just got me thinking

Day 16-19 have pretty much come and gone (I have one more meal left of 19 of course). I haven't necessarily felt "tiger-blood" but I know I have increased energy because I have been running from 7am to 11pm straight for a week solid... that would have been unimaginable in Week 1 or pre-Whole30! Personally, I'm just feeling a bit burnt out from work and realizing I have two months to study for an exam that will encompass all of the geology I learned in three years of schooling. And in that time, I will be out of town for work for two weeks... I honestly do not handle stress well. I typically just shut down and it's hard to focus on the task at hand. BUT I digress... Meals this week have been pretty simple recipes that utilize what we already have in the freezer since money is super tight lately. Sweet potatoes and frozen steamable veggies are my best frannnnns! I understand that there are ways to do the Whole30 on a cheapskate budget, but honestly... that food can oftentimes get PRETTY boring. We've been doing a lot of simple protein with veggies meals this week, and I like to marinade the protein to make it more interesting for my palate. Last night was a delicious dijon mustard marinade and tonight we're having white fish with a lemon garlic marinade (all compliant/homemade of course). For this next week, I've scoped out the weekly specials for Aldi (my favorite store in the world) and Hyvee (local grocer, to retrieve things Aldi doesn't have) to determine what our meals are going to be. I found that Aldi has a special on family sized drummies and chicken breast. I also noticed the last time that I went to Aldi, that they still have a few turkeys in their freezer at a super cheap price... I'm going to make that up this weekend to have leftovers! In terms of produce, NOTHING is in season in Wisconsin in January (I'm kinda sick of hearing that money saving tip). It's easier to shop in season when you live in a place where it's warm more frequently lol! There is the farmer's market that runs in the winter (the farmers there have hydroponic farms), BUT it's always more expensive... which defeats my original purpose of eating seasonally to save money! What I did incorporate this week is that Hyvee has a special every Wednesday that their HealthMarket items (such as kombucha, EPIC bars, etc) and organic produce are 10% off! I went and stocked up on some EPIC bars, kombucha, and a couple of other items and saved $7 (only spent $33)! They had 15% off EPIC products on TOP of the 10% off... I was feeling super awesome. Anyway, I'm dragging my boyfriend to the store this weekend because he's paying for groceries since my bills this week are too overwhelming (student loans are ruining my life). Other than studying my pa-too-tee off, I really want to get outside and go for a hike. It's supposed to be in the 40s (which is unheard of for WI in January). I could definitely use some outdoor air to clear my brain and reflect on all of my progress so far

I'm glad this is a topic that has already been discussed (and even commented on by Melissa herself!) I honestly think if it's used for medicinal use (to avoid taking pharmaceutical drugs) and recommended by a doctor (in a legal state), I don't see why it should be an issue. Obviously cooking it into something like ghee or coconut oil is way better than smoking. Just got to make sure if it makes you munchie, to be sure to know whether you can handle those cravings during a Whole30. My boyfriend has asked me this question and I'm glad I found the topic and can answer intelligently

Anissa, I know what you're saying about the meal prep! I find I go a little crazy the first couple weeks doing ALL of the meal prep. The stuffed peppers and the shepherd's pie from the Whole30 book are my FAVE! If you're feeling burnt out, my best suggestion is to maybe do some simpler meals in between the fancier Whole30 cookbook meals. I've started doing a marinated meat, steamed veggies, and 1/2 a sweet potato (or cauliflower rice) in between large meal prep meals. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the kitchen, BUT I work a full time job and I'm studying for a huge exam for 2-3 hours a night. Ain't nobody got time for 4 hours of meal prep per night! BUT if you enjoy all of that, all the more power to ya Also, I'm doing a Whole60! I'm traveling for two weeks for work in the middle of February, so that will be interesting. BUT I'm determined to make it work!

Life has been super crazy this week (and money is SUPER tight), so this week has been a lot of slow cooker meals catered to what we have available in the freezer. Tonight is slow-cooker curried chicken breasts with cauliflower rice and diced sweet potatoes Probably having a simple fish, potato, and steamed broccoli dinner tomorrow since we have SO MUCH fish in the freezer. Anyone else run into issues involving money and sticking to the plan? I shop pretty frugally (I only spent $50 last week on groceries cuz I had a lot of meat stocked in the freezer), but I feel like being young, it's tough to maintain this diet with limited resources. Luckily, a couple weeks ago, my local Aldi store had 1/2 off and $1 off meats and I stocked up. Anyone have any other tricks to saving some money? This week, I'm going through weekly adds and catering my list off of what's on special. That and selecting recipes with limited ingredients (none of that 20 ingredient BS). I even make sure to bring reusable bags to save the $0.20 my grocery store reimburses haha. Oh! And I'm going to the other grocery store tonight because they provide 10% off on HealthMarket items (such as my kombucha, organic produce, and EPIC bars!)

Happy Day #15! One big NSV occurred this past weekend. I co-planned my friend's 30th birthday party this weekend. Naturally, there was much alcohol involved (if you know anything about Wisconsin... we know how to throw down). AND there were lots of sweets and snacks. I did NOT budge on my Whole30 track and stuck to the plan! I made some compliant bacon wrapped dates, brought my own compliant brats, and a sweet potato to snack on throughout the night. I also brought a 12 pack of Klarbrunn to drink while everyone else was partaking in the sparkly pink champagne mixed drink and the free beer that was overflowing. My only disappointment is that I had more bacon wrapped dates than I feel like I should have (I ate to snack, not because I was hungry later in the night). I'm really glad other people liked my snack as well! My biggest suggestion to those new to the program and going to parties: even if the host is providing food, bring something YOU can eat. Unless you think they'll be pissed, then just pack a bag of your own stuff... but not only are you bringing something that you can eat to keep you on track, but you're also contributing and helping your host! And maybe it will convince others that you're not so crazy for partaking on this journey if they taste the delicious (healthy) food you've made! Not only did I stick to the Whole30, but I didn't allow the fact that I wasn't drinking hinder my fun! I stayed up until 3am with the rest of 'em and danced the night away! Just goes to show, you don't need to drink to have a good time people! Best part? I didn't wake up with my head pounding and an upset stomach like everyone else

I haven't felt the need to post on here to keep me on track this round, but personally I think that's a sign that I'm changing my habits for good after four rounds of Whole30! I'm still thinking I want to do 60 days though. My Florida field work got pushed to the middle of February, so these first 30 days haven't been as difficult as I anticipated. We'll see how traveling and a Whole30 goes! One big NSV occurred this past weekend. I co-planned my friend's 30th birthday party this weekend. Naturally, there was much alcohol involved (if you know anything about Wisconsin... we know how to throw down). AND there were lots of sweets and snacks. I did NOT budge on my Whole30 track and stuck to the plan! I made some compliant bacon wrapped dates, brought my own compliant brats, and a sweet potato to snack on throughout the night. I also brought a 12 pack of Klarbrunn to drink while everyone else was partaking in the sparkly pink champagne mixed drink and the free beer that was overflowing. My only disappointment is that I had more bacon wrapped dates than I feel like I should have (I ate to snack, not because I was hungry). I'm really glad other people liked my snack as well! My biggest suggestion to those new to the program and going to parties: even if the host is providing food, bring something YOU can eat. Unless you think they'll be pissed, then just pack a bag of your own stuff... but not only are you bringing something that you can eat to keep you on track, but you're also contributing and helping your host! And maybe it will convince others that you're not so crazy for partaking on this journey if they taste the delicious (healthy) food you've made! Not only did I stick to the Whole30, but I didn't allow the fact that I wasn't drinking hinder my fun! I stayed up until 3am with the rest of 'em and danced the night away! Just goes to show, you don't need to drink to have a good time people! Best part? I didn't wake up with my head pounding and an upset stomach like everyone else Day 15 and I'm super excited for the whole chicken I have in the crockpot with spices, onions, and lemon for dinner! I have Toastmasters tonight (a speech club for those unfamiliar) and so I'm planning on grabbing dinner quick after work and then heading to my meeting at 6:30. I'm thinking I'll have a sweet potato and some steamed veggies as a side. Hopefully the icy roads aren't too bad! Wisconsin is really changing up the weather this January! Should be 50 degrees by Wednesday!

I've been having more energy a lot sooner on this round of Whole30 and I'm really feeling confident with all of my meal prep and yummy recipes I've tried! I've discovered that I'm truly a cookbook lover that ACTUALLY opens up the books and gets ideas for the week. I know some people are just collectors, which is totally fine and understandable. I'm still not confident enough in my own cooking skills to make up Whole30 meals; unless it involves something simple like veggie noodles, a protein, and compliant marinara OR something like a chicken breast, roasted veggies, and a sweet potato. I guess a NSV for the first week is already increased energy! I'm a little disappointed that it seems like my skin is still being a jerk... but again, I'm pretty sure this has to do with my birth control (I didn't research how the progestin in the Mirena affects acne symptoms prior to getting it). I'm getting it removed at my next physical and changing BC, so hopefully that changes things... May be TMI for some people, but whatever I officially gave my scale to my friend when she came over on Sunday because I was too tempted to try and weigh myself since I've noticed less bloat in my belly. So that's another NSV. ALSO, during lunch today, I ate half of my leftover meatloaf and all of my broccoli and I was full. Well, not FULL-full, but I felt satisfied. So I took the last few bites of broccoli I had left and put the rest of the meatloaf in the fridge! Growing up, I was part of the "finish your plate club", so this is always a difficult task for me. Especially when money is tight and I feel awful wasting food in general. So, if I'm hungry later, I can eat what's left of my lunch or just save it for tomorrow! Let's see what I can remember of my meals this weekend: Day 6: M1 - Egg scramble with a variety of veggies in the fridge (including sweet potatoes) and some leftover pork. Black coffee. M2 - Egg salad on top of baby spinach M3 - Mexican-Meatloaf with small yukon potatoes and steamed broccoli (from Juli Bauer's Paleo Cookbook) Snack - (I went to see Star Wars after dinner and knew I had to smell popcorn for 2+ hours) Handful of macadamia nuts, Klarbrunn, and an Apple Pie Elevation bar (Aldi brand Larabar essentially, totally compliant so much cheaper!) Day 7: M1 - Egg scramble with a variety of veggies again, leftover pork. Black coffee M2 - Egg salad with some baby carrots on the side (I was busy meal prepping/studying and didn't have time for much else) M3 - Leftover Mexican-meatloaf, baby spinach salad with homemade raspberry vinaigrette, a roasted sweet potato Snack - Apple with 2 tbsp of unsweetened almond butter while I was studying late last night. Brain food, right? Day 8 (today): M1 - Breakfast scramble with Cholula hot sauce, black coffee. I added what I had leftover of pork/chicken from the previous week to get rid of it before it went bad. Save dat $! M2 - Leftover Mexican-meatloaf, a bag of steamed broccoli. I was full after eating half of my meatloaf and the full bag of broccoli. May have some almonds later at my desk if I'm hungry. M3 - Slow Cooker Moroccan beef (from the second Whole30 cookbook) with cauliflower rice and a side salad

In case anyone is curious, do NOT buy the Weightless Cranberry for the Whole30. I was about to buy it at the grocery store the other day and realized there was "stevia leaf" in the ingredients. Just a reminder to double check your labels, even on anything as innocent-seeming as organic tea! I definitely recommend Traditional Medicinals' Detox tea though for those that may be experiencing some bloat.

Today seems like a pretty normal day. I feel pretty "ADD" today and yesterday, but that may have something to do with work-load at work this week (VERY slow). Last night I had my most craving feeling yet after an hour long yoga session where lots of swearing was involved (I went up a level out of my comfort zone and there were some things where I was like "ummmm, how do?!"). I just wanted cheese. Out of all of the things. Darn Wisconsin blood! I didn't want any of my leftovers (I wasn't feeling the tomato-ey chili or spaghetti), so I just made a big scramble with 1/2 a sweet potato, a couple of bell peppers, 1/2 an onion, large handful of spinach, leftover pork, and 3 eggs. I had a side of 1/2 an apple with unsweetened natural almond butter (I shared the other half with my boyfriend). Today's meals look something like: Day 5: M1- Breakfast scramble with hot sauce, black coffee M2 - Leftover Spaghetti & Butternut squash noodle spaghetti (with added veggies like bell peppers, onions, and olives) M3 - I'm thinking leftover Slow Cooker Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili tonight I'm looking forward to looking through my new Whole30 cookbook and my others and thinking about meals for next week. I also want to prep my Mexican Meatloaf for Saturday night. I'm going to see Star Wars with some friends this weekend and want to eat before I go! I also want to go to the gym tonight and burn off some anxiety. I just sent in my application and money to officially sign up to take my Fundamentals of Geology exam in the middle of March and I'm kinda freaking out... In college I had pretty bad test anxiety and being out of the game for 3 years makes me even more nervous! I have plenty of study materials, certified flash cards, and old geology binders, and a plan of attack. I should be all good, so I'm trying to stay optimistic! I'm really putting my stress-eating habits to the test lately!

CarleenVC, PLEASE don't get discouraged by people's comments... not everyone who follows the program gets super hyper about the rules. This is YOUR reset and YOUR Whole30... my friend has done her Whole30 while eating corn... I don't do that, but you do you. I really don't want you to feel discouraged from a few "bad eggs". This forum is meant to support, not tear down.

Oh, and Celestial Seasoning's Sleepytime Tea!

I'm pretty obsessed with this Turmeric with Meadowsweet & Ginger tea that Traditional Medicinals sells (it's in the health food section at my grocery store). I also like their chamomile and raspberry leaf tea. I just noticed that they have a "Weightless Cranberry" that I now want to try actually... mmm

I made this breakfast scramble bake every Sunday for work weeks and it's AMAZING with some hot sauce on top! http://crazytogether.com/easy-delicious-breakfast-saved-whole-30/

I'm on day 4, and just a fun little tid-bit... my boyfriend has been really good about me going on my Whole30s (this is my 4th round). He was so great last night, that he essentially waited until I was in bed to make his frozen pizza so I didn't have to smell its deliciousness. SO thankful for that, because that's the toughest part... being around food I can't eat. Some co-workers brought in Kringle (a pastery thingy, I think it's a WI thing?). I just gave it the evil eye and made up my tea for the afternoon. In case anyone is struggling with not snacking at night (like I do), I DEFINITELY recommend buying some nice herbal teas and drinking those instead. I think it works really well, especially in the winter (it's literally 3 degrees Fahrenheit in WI right now). Also, anyone having strange/vivid dreams yet? I haven't had all of the other symptoms really (don't hate me), but I had one heck of a doozy dream last night! Needless to say, I should back off on my American Horror Story watching for awhile!